The Importance of Setting Goals

Everyone wants to improve themselves, or their circumstances, and this is a fabulous time of year to start the process of making an improvement – or at least to start thinking about it.

There are many tried and trusted formulas for setting effective goals, one of the most common of which, we shall discuss here: setting “SMART” goals.

SMART, as you have probably already guessed, is an acronym. Each letter of the acronym has a significantly deeper meaning.

S: Specific

M: Measurable

A: Attainable

R: Realistic

T: Time-bound

Let’s look at each in turn…

S is Specific

Goals need to be specific and lead us towards our goal. Just like rungs on a ladder, each goal may be small in itself but, when combined with the next, and the one after that, will raise us to where we truly want to be.

M is for Measurable

Setting some form of metric on your goal gives you something to aim for and lets you know when you have reached it.

You might choose an exam score, a pay rise, a promotion, or something else to let you know you have achieved your aim.

A is Attainable

A goal has got to be attainable. You have to, at some point, be able to reach it. It might take some time, but it must be achievable.

If you have a big goal, break it down into its component parts. If you want a certain position at work, find out what HR thinks would be the “ideal” candidate for that role and work on getting each of their line items, in turn.

Alternately, if you have multiple goals, you can use scraps of paper, sticky notes, or anything upon which you can write down your goals and put them on the wall or create a goal board. Then, as you achieve each one, you can remove it from the board. Doing this will give you a sense of achievement.

R is for Realistic

Goals should be attainable, and they should also be realistic. Being realistic has an intrinsic implication: within the realms of all imagination, can you actually achieve your goal?

An example of an unrealistic goal is that of being able to breathe in space without assistance – this just isn’t going to happen, no matter how hard you practice! On the other hand, a realistic goal is to perform a piano recital at a conference venue – if you practice hard enough it could happen.

T for Time-bound

No goal is ever going to be reached if you don’t set yourself a time limit. It could be next week, in a month’s time, six months from now, in a year, or even in five years’ time – no matter how long you think it will take, make sure to set yourself a time limit.

Having a time limit, forces you to create some sort of a plan of action to achieve that goal. If worst comes to worst, you can always extend your limit, but it is a better idea to push yourself to achieve your goal in the time limit you set. It will make you feel good.

As business owners, managers, and employees, the biggest problem we face is how to stay ahead of the competition. Whether it be between businesses competing for the same customers, or co-workers vying for the same promotions, we all have to figure out a way to get that all-important “edge” over everyone else.

One way to do this is to get the technological advantage. Whether to make the business more efficient and effective, or the employees’ resumes look more enticing, technical training gives a measurable advantage and a return on training budget investment.

As a training company clearly understanding your requirements so that we can help you plan the correct certification path to help you reach your career goals, is paramount. Our team can walk through your requirements with you, often asking you “why” for each of your requirements. This isn’t because they don’t understand what you’re asking for, it’s because they want to see how each piece of the puzzle fits together in your plan to reach your goal.

“Why” is actually one of the most important questions that you can ask yourself when putting together your certification goal plans, too. It helps you to think about why you need something. It’s okay to say you want something because a competitor has it, but it’s even more helpful to have a specific reason as to why/how the idea will bring you/your business increased benefits.

Have a look at the list of goals that you’re putting together and make a note of “why” you would like each of these certifications. Let us know if you uncover anything interesting that you hadn’t considered previously.

Start making those goals today and call us to see how we can help!

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NC-Expert is a privately-held California corporation and is well established within the Wireless, Security, and Collaboration industry certification training, courseware development, and consulting markets.

Led by its Founder and CEO, Rie Vainstein, NC-Expert has won numerous private contracts with Fortune level companies around the world. These customers have depended on NC-Expert to train, advise, and mentor their staff.

If you are looking for the best in IT Network Training then call us today at (855) 941-2121 or contact us by email today.

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